What better place than Miami for Adriana Lima to showcase luxe jeweler Chopard’s new Magical Setting collection. Photographer Michael Schwartz captures the shimmering diamonds clustered in floral shapes in a unique, breakthrough collection of necklaces, earrings and rings. Elizabeth Sulcer styles Adriana with hair by Peter Gray and makeup by Georgi Sandev.

The skills of the maison's high jewellery department are put to task with this new setting, as the diamonds seem to be floating freely, with no links or claws holding them together. They come together in an explosion of sparkle, unencumbered by heavy metal prongs or claws, as if linked together by the tap of a wand. The collection features diamonds, blue sapphires from Sri Lanka, rubies from Mozambique and Madagascar, or emeralds from Colombia and Zambia. Each flower is anchored by a focal stone, that's surrounded by an array of precious gems.

Hollywood star Penelope Cruz, who debuted a sustainable jewelry collection with Swarovski last year headlines a new ‘Made for Legends’ campaign for luxe artisan jeweler John Hardy. Following last year’s ‘legends’ Julianne Moore and Adwoa Aboah, Cruz models the mixed metals of John Hardy’s spring/summer 2019 collection, in a campaign shot by Josh Olins.

“It is important to me that any project I participate in aligns with my values, and John Hardy has been dedicated to preserving their artisan community and rich heritage for over 40 years,” Cruz said in a statement.

“Each piece is handcrafted in Bali, a place I know and love, with techniques that have been passed down for generations and made with reclaimed gold and silver, as well as ethically vetted stones. I also love that the brand has championed female artisans and entrepreneurs from day one with its signature motif, Classic Chain, traditionally woven by Balinese women as a way to bring prosperity to their families," Cruz said.

Tiffany & Co appears on AOC frequently, given their significant contributions to wildlife conservation, frequently working with superhuman Doutzen Kroes. Tiffany & Co understands that younger customers have different values from their parents and grandparents, when the topic is inclusivity and responding to our global climate crisis. These younger customers are also concerned about the sourcing of their products in an industry known for some heartless business practices around the world.

The Fifth Avenue jeweler has now committed to full transparency around the origins and ultimately the journey from mining to a sale at Tiffany & Co of all of its diamonds (0.18 and larger.)

Jennifer Fisher's Instagram page is testimony to her customers' love for OTT jewelry -- aka statement or major bling designs. Why not wear two giant hoops in one ear, writesVogue. More is better. And just to reinforce the idea that today's bling-lovin girls can also have heart, Fisher throws in ACLU petitions and sad pics of immigrant kids at the border, lost in America's totally dysfunctional immigration system.

Jennifer Fisher's approach to jewelry design and her personal/brand values underscores that people must not judge a book by its cover -- a challenge in today's Inst-world. The idea that more-is-more may not reflect your personal values. They are not mine, but I will not criticize any brand that is working to product more "sustainable" or "earth-friendly" jewelry

Fisher's new relationship with Diamond Foundry reflects her customers’ changing views on diamonds, particularly her millennial fans who are candidates to buy lab-grown diamonds. “As we’ve grown, people have been asking us more and more questions about [the origins of] our diamonds,” she said. “This new generation wants to know that no one was harmed [in the mining of the stones], and that they essentially have a carbon footprint of zero. But at the same time, we’re getting tons of requests for diamond stud earrings—so I thought now was the perfect opportunity to become more sustainable.”

Chopard made a landmark announcement on March 22 that by July 22, the Swiss maison will only use ethical gold in all its jewelry and watch creations. Long-time friends of Chopard including Colin and Livia Firth, Julianne Moore and Arizona Muse joined Chopard's Caroline Scheufele and Karl Friedrich Scheufele in making the announcement.

The commitment to sustainability is a long one. More than 30 years ago Chopard brought all its jewelry-making processes in-house in order to guarantee control of every aspect of their relationship with miners as well as promises made to Chopard clients.

In 2013 the Maison made the decision to invest directly in artisanal gold, to increase its availability to the larger market. The company has a long-standing relationship with Olivia and Colin Firth, who champion sustainability through their Green Carpet Collections. Chopard defines “ethical gold” as gold acquired from responsible sources that have been verified to meet international best practices. From July 2018 Chopard gold will be responsibly sourced from either artisanal small-scale mines in the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), Fairmined and Fairtrade schemes, or from the RJC Chain of Custody gold through Chopard’s partnership with RJC-certified refineries.

The 'Peace' Diamond From Sierre Leone

AOC hasn't written about diamonds and blood diamonds for several years, but the journey to market of the 'Peace' diamond caught our attention.

It was Laurence Graff who won the Dec. 2017 bidding in New York, acquiring the so-called 'Peace' diamond from the government of Sierra Leone.

The stone is the third largest diamond in the country's history and the 14th biggest ever discovered worldwide, according to theRapaport Group, the jewelry auction organization that helped bring the stone to auction. Note that the Rapaport Group is also a leader in fair trade and ethical diamond mining.

The 'Peace' diamond arrived in New York for the December 2017 auction with a cloud over its head. At an earlier auction in Sierra Leone, the diamond brought only $7.8 million at auction and did not meet the floor price.

Because the 'Peace' diamond brought even less money at $6.5 million in New York than the $7.8 million rejected in Sierra Leone, disappointment is understandable.

“What is the value of the life of a child in Sierra Leone? What is the value of clean water? That’s the value, that’s here. And that’s what Laurence Graff is buying,” said Chairman of Rapaport Group, Martin Rapaport. Note that I'm not clear if Rapaport's comments came before or after the sale. But they appeared in a March 5, 2018 article on Africanews.com, talking about Sierra Leone's history in blood diamonds. According to World Bank data, Sierra Leone’s gross national income per capita stood at $620 in 2015.

Related. This story is unfolding in several parts, one more interesting than the next. This is the first chapter -- modified tonight based on new research.

Coming Soon

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